


Awakening Reveal

by RedPandaDragon



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Black Marsh, Broken Hearts, F/F, F/M, Loneliness, hot nights, pregnant Warden
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 06:01:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16969038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedPandaDragon/pseuds/RedPandaDragon
Summary: Ilyana Surana's secret is spilled by Anders while battling Fade Tears in the Black Marshes.





	Awakening Reveal

“Are you so sure you should be doing this in your sensitive condition?” Anders asked under his breath. The mud of the Black Marsh caked thick around his boots.

 

“Shut up, Anders.” Ilyana, already exhausted from the fight to depart the fade and now they hunted the tears in the veil. She managed to keep her morning sickness at bay amidst combat, but sometimes immediately after she would retreat to the bushes to empty her stomach before continuing on. If she was only three months with child, she was unsure how she would soldier through at six months. Shaking her chest aching dread aside, she decided to keep her mind in the present. 

 

“What’s this about a sensitive condition? Warden-Commander, are you ill?” Nathaniel inquired, Ilyana could feel the eyes of all of her companions suddenly upon her. This made her skin crawl. Almost more than the childer grubs they had been slaying. 

 

“I’m not sick.” Ilyana barked, her eyes forward on the trail.  _ Focus on the job. Focus on the job.  _ She repeated to herself.

 

“Sorry, Ilyana. I should’ve said nothing.” Anders softly apologized. His grip on his staff visibly tightening as indicated by his white knuckles. 

 

“Said what?” Velanna, having only heard what Anders had just said, asked.

 

“He said nothing.” Ilyana asserted. 

 

“It is uncouth of a leader such as yourself to lie. Especially when it’s clear the mage clearly did mention that you’re in a sensitive condition.” Justice commanded.

 

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Ilyana rolled her eyes. 

 

Demons poured from the Veil Tear and the unlikely group of wardens fought them back, sealing the wound in the world. The Wardens soldiered on for the better part of an hour. 

 

“I figured it out! She’s pregnant!” Sigrun erupted at the top of her lungs. Ilyana was mistaken in her hopes that the subject had been forgotten.

 

Velanna’s eyes widened and Ander’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson while Justice paused and Nathaniel’s face went white.

 

“Oh… my lady-Warden-Commander, is this true?” Nathaniel asked, his voice meek with a warbling uncertainty. The group stopped walking, but their leader marched on. Oghren was unable to contain himself any longer.

 

“Not surprising, she spent the entire Blight knocking boots with-“ Ilyana summoned her strength from the Fade and pulled willed it into a petrify spell encasing the dwarf in stone before he could finish his sentence. The new Wardens stared aghast at her. 

 

“He’ll recover in a moment.” She turned to face her team. “Fine. Yes, I’m with child, if any of you, of this little group here, speaks a word of this to anyone, ever, I’ll give you the same kindness I demonstrated to the Archdemon or Teyrn Loghain. Am I clear?” Ilyana eyes locked with each of the wardens as she spoke ensuring they understood she wasn’t being hyperbolic. 

 

For a moment the only sounds were of the Black Marsh, silent and impenetrable. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


***

  
  
  
  


Ilyana sat at her desk, a loose oversized tunic slouched off her left shoulder, long raven waves cascaded free of their usual binds and braids. For a young woman at the age of 20, she felt old. Every joint and muscle ached, she placed a hand on the growing, but still indiscreet, bump on her upper abdomen. The reminder of how she wasn’t alone grew the hollow space deep in her chest. She wasn’t alone, but she was isolated.

 

Her eyes glanced down at the mostly empty letter. The introduction, 

“Dear  Alistair King Alistair,

 

I’m sorry, I’m so   Congratulations on your engagement, I’m writing to inform you” was all that was written. 

 

“I sure bungled everything, didn’t I?” She asked the unwritten letter, not expecting a response but secretly hoped for one to apparate. She pursed her lips and folded her arms feeling sheepish. Pulling her arms close around herself she suddenly felt small; her heart fluttered in a growing panic. She worried for her child, Anders was right, how much longer could she lead from the tip of the spear before she’s physically unable? Thoughts of doubt and unsure about the future she began to pace the floor of her quarters. The stone cold beneath her bare feet sent chills up her spine. 

 

A soft series of knocks at Ilyana’s door disrupted her spiraling mind, she straightened her spine and crossed to her chair and wrapped herself in her woven patterned wool robe before peeking the door open. On the other side of the door stood Nathaniel, his eyebrows knit together low, pursed lips, folded arms and soft grey eyes demonstrated his obvious concern. 

 

“Nathaniel.” She pushed the door fully open inviting him inside, “Something troubling you?” she asked. 

 

Their eyes locked for a moment before he entered her room. Ilyana crossed to her desk and took a seat on it placing her feet on the wooden chair in front of it. She extended a hand offering Nathaniel a seat on the crimson chaise against the wall behind the desk. He sat down on the chaise, his gaze dropped low. Nathaniel’s discomfort was palpable.

 

“Come, the hour’s late, what’s on your mind?” Ilyana spoke softly to dissuade his troubles. She knew how to be a good leader and there for her team and friends. 

 

“I’m sorry.” he looked back up at Ilyana. “I’ve spent all this time thinking about how my family was wronged and seeking vengeance, I didn’t see the truth. I’m sorry I thought so poorly of you.”

 

“It’s really okay, Nathaniel. If some mage elf Warden had killed my family, even if they deserved it, I’d probably not put them high on my favorite person list.” The side of her mouth tugged into a smirk. “Is that all, Warden? The hour is late and it’s been a long week.” Nathaniel nodded, rose to his feet and walked halfway to the door before turning around.

 

“Yes, are you doing all right? I’ve seen you annihilate your enemies, fought alongside you in battle, but how are  _ you _ ? Is the father… alive?” As he spoke he took a few steps toward toward her.

 

Ilyana sighed and bowed her head. She didn’t want to answer questions, but she could see that Nathaniel was sincere in his concern by his pained expression.

 

“I’m doing fine as one can expect. The father is no longer in the picture, and that’s all I’ll say about the subject. Anders, who surprisingly, has a lot of medical training and has been keeping a close eye on me. I appreciate your concern.” Ilyana hopped off the desk and crossed the room to the door. She studied the Warden before her, he was a sturdy and comely human man, and for a moment she considered if things had been different maybe they would have a deeper friendship, but she had no intention of staying in Amaranthine and his company wasn’t the company she longed for.

 

Nathaniel looked down at the diminutive elf, she was so small out of her armor, she hardly looked real, a porcelain doll his sister played with, except her sisters games rarely included slaying dragons and defeating hordes of Darkspawn. 

 

“I can’t believe anyone could leave a woman such as yourself in such a condition.” Were the only words of comfort he could muster, before a wide grin spread across his face, “If only out of fear of what you could do to them for wronging you.”

 

Ilyana laughed. In the moment she felt like the strongest mage in Thedas, which she objectively knew was impossible, but appreciated the laugh and compliment.

 

“Are you afraid of me, Warden?” She lifted her hand from the doorknob and crossed her arms. Nathaniel placed his hand on the door and cracked it open. He looked over his shoulder at her.

 

“No, but I worry who will take care of you,” he said. He slipped through the door shutting it behind him. 

 

Ilyana let the comment hang in the air for a moment before she rolled her eyes and opened the door back up and glanced down the hall to see its emptiness stare back at her. She grumbled to herself and walked down the hall of guest quarters and paced before taking a deep breath. She knew she didn’t want to be alone this night and summoned the courage she needed to quietly knock on the oak door before her, her heart rate quickened.

 

With a creak, the door opened a sliver before opening enough to reveal Velanna standing behind it. 

 

“Here to take me up on my offer, I see?” Velanna asked as she grinned playfully tapping her fingers on the oak door frame.

 

“Shut up.” Ilyana said with a sense of agency as she grabbed Velanna by the hips and and pulled her toward her, sealing their lips in a series of kisses each deeper than the one before. Velanna wrapped her arms around Ilyana bringing her into her chambers slamming the door shut behind her with a kick.

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
